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I think it is okay to add coolant using the clear plastic, unsealed tank. If you were to completely drain and refill the system I think you would want to fill the sealed tank, then the siphon tank.

 

I don't know for sure though, I'm a noob.

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I think it is okay to add coolant using the clear plastic,

 

I've added about 1/2 gallon of the Subaru coolant (mixed with 50% h2o of course), doing it this way...hope I didn't mess anything up...but just wanna know you know...I can always change my "bad habits" :icon_bigg

In Taiwan now...:spin:
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ONLY FILL FROM THE TOP SEALED RESERVIOR WHEN THE SEAL IS COMPROMIZED.

If the front expansion bottle is completely dry, or if you are changing out the coolant entirely, or the car has overheated. Not normal circumstances.

You don't want to fill there otherwise, as you could introduce air into the system, which would mean you would have to bleed it again.

 

***Normal periodic checking and topping-up should be done from the clear expansion bottle, with the high-low marks.

 

Fill to the appropriate mark when the engine is hot or cold. Don't open the radiator or reservior pressure caps when the car is hot. don't even touch them, as they are extremely hot. probably in excess of 200 degrees F.

 

Use either pre-diluted coolant (water and antifreeze 50%/50% pre-mix) or use undiluted antifreeze (brands and restrictions listed in this thread...) and distilled water. Not just filtered, but distilled, to keep all the minerals from the water out of your cooling system.

 

You can add fractions of distilled water to your 50% pre-mix, to further dilute the mix. warmer climates don't necessarily need the sub-zero degree freeze protection, and can bias the mix more toward water, maybe as much as 60-65% water. Water conducts heat better than glycol and other chemicals, so a mix with more water will be more efficient at cooling the engine.

 

Antifreeze itself doesn't conduct as much heat, but does keep the water in a liquid state far below it's normal freezing point.

 

Chemistry 101: water's solid state is actually less dense than it's liquid state, counter to most other materials. That is why ice floats in your drinking water.

 

Less density also equates to an increase in spatial volume. When water freezes, it expands right where it is. In a sealed system, there is no extra volume to account for that expansion. If ice happens to be forming in the cooling galleys in your engine, it will crack the metal castings, it will split hoses, it will destroy water pumps, and radiators, and all manner of other things as it expands in place. THAT is why anti-freeze is important.

 

Moral of the story: Check your antifreeze concentration. Most autoparts stores and automotive departments will sell a small suction bulb test tube to take a sample of the coolant in your car. It works by using some plastic beads of varying densities, or other density measurement system, which will float or sink in antifreeze, depending on concentration. Reading which ball floats, and which one sinks, or if it has neutral buoyancy will tell you what the low temperature threshold is for your coolant.

 

Make sure that temperature is as low or lower than the coldest temperature your region sees in the winter. If it isn't low enough, add a fraction more un-diluted antifreeze. (or twice as much 50% antifreeze).

 

If the temperature reading on your coolant is much colder than your region's lowest yearly temperature, you can replace some of the coolant with distilled water, to up your cooling system's thermal transfer efficiency, and sacrifice the unused antifreeze potential that you don't need.

 

most antifreeze in 40-50% concentration should protect at least to -20 degrees F, quite possibly even lower.

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Vimy -- How do you mean?

 

The LGT is still a newish model and long term problem/issues trends have not started to appear yet. My previous car was 95 Infinit J30t and the site I frequented had lots of owners with cars well over 120k miles. A great deal of the talk revolved around PM (preventative maintenance).

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It will be interesting to see what this site looks like when the average mileage is 60K.

 

 

Yeah, by that time the drivetrain warranties will be up and we'll all see if Subaru's "Coolant Additive" (stop-leak) band-aid helped them avoid shelling out bucks for leak repairs.

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Just spoke to Customer Service at Prestone.

 

Guy said that all of the extended life formulas are phosphate, silicate and borate free...

 

http://www.prestone.com/products/antifreezeCoolant.php

 

Do you know if Prestone has that in print anywhere? I couldn't find that on the bottles or on their website. I seem to recall seeing low-phosphate in relation to Prestone.

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Do you know if Prestone has that in print anywhere? I couldn't find that on the bottles or on their website. I seem to recall seeing low-phosphate in relation to Prestone.

 

 

http://www.prestone.com/carcare/faq.php

 

For those consumers who would feel more comfortable using a phosphate-free antifreeze, our Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant is phosphate, silicate, and borate free. This coolant uses a special chemistry and technology that extends the life of the corrosion inhibitor package so that it lasts for five years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first), and is safe for all cars and light trucks (old or new). Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant has been approved by GM.

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The Peak Global I found (in Menards...home improvement store) was pre-mixed. So...if I flush the system after draining the old coolant, I am left with some water in the system as I cannot get it all out...I am not about to pull the block drain(s). So tell me, just how do I get to a 50/50 final mix, starting with some 100% water in the system and adding a 50/50 mix to the cooling system? Not possible. Also, where do I get large amounts of distilled water to run through my garden hose for the flushing process so that when I am done, the water remaining in the system is distilled water? I have always used tap water for this process and have never had an issue. Subaru is just jerking your chain.
It is still ugly.
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You can buy distilled water by the gallon at most grocery stores.

 

You might also try parking on an incline, so that the coolant runs toward the radiator drain. You can also pull the lower radiator hose and try to drain it that way. (I haven't looked at how difficult that might be...)

 

You might also check the vacation pics, and see if there is a listed procedure for changing the coolant.

 

If you are flushing the system with clean distilled water, you probably don't need to worry about every last fraction of an ounce, anyway. it will dilute into the new clean coolant, and probably won't affect the antifreeze concentration much at all.

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I think they used to use coolant to lubricate the water pump, but, I am not sure that is so common anymore. with plastic impellers and sealed lifetime-lubed bearings, I am not sure it is as much of an issue anymore.

 

But I could be wrong... and plain water is a decent lubricant, with a lot of film strength and surface tension, especially as long as it is clean. It isn't oil, but I am not sure you want to be adding that to your coolant.

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